Trial date set for West New York man accused of raping ex-girlfriend in Edgewater garage

A judge Tuesday set a June 9 trial date for a man accused of raping and beating a former girlfriend in the underground garage of an Edgewater restaurant last July.

Superior Court Judge Liliana S. DeAvila-Silebi told Arsenio Amelco, 23, a citizen of Mexico who was living in West New York, that he has until June 3 to accept a 15-year plea deal, or the case will proceed to trial the following week.

If convicted at trial, Amelco could face up to 50 years behind bars, the judge said during a hearing in Hackensack. He would also face deportation once his sentence is served, she said.

Bergen County Assistant Prosecutor Kristin DeMarco said the state is offering a 15-year term on an aggravated sexual assault charge, with a five-year term for resisting arrest to run concurrently.

Amelco would have to serve 85 percent of the 15-year term, and would also receive jail credit of almost one year, resulting in a sentence of 11 years and eight months, the judge said.

Amelco is accused of raping, beating and threatening to kill the 26-year-old victim around midnight last July 20 in the garage of the Pier 115 Bar & Grill. The woman was treated for injuries to her head, face and torso.

Police arrested Amelco on the roof of a relative’s home in West New York two days later, after he fled out a rear window. He has been jailed on $175,000 bail since his arrest.